Opinion: The Problem with Homo economicus

Best of the Web Today columnist James Taranto on why classical economic studies should factor in reproductive biology. Photo credit: Getty Images.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... I ... I ... welcome to Opinion Journal I'm Mary Kissel there's a new study out ... there but most the sake of young men in the sense that they're not fall ... reliable husbands and fathers ... but was just acting rationally I've got best of the Web Today columnist James Taranto here ... to talk about it said James for the society suppose to dress well it's actually a study it's an article that sums up the social science literature and the importance of fathers in the development rolled in particular ports and says that ... boys to Gruppen fatherless households have bad outcomes ... it's it's a survey of all the studies that show that body of Africa on with the City Journal ... and you know I get that sense it's you that the bulk of the P is a perfectly good piece in it's very interesting informative I recommended ... I just got annoyed by the way she framed the question the first one half paragraphs of the op store and it's I'd ... you know economists of puzzled ... as to why young girls have been so adaptable to go they go to school they seek education AEI they do well in the world that these you know they ... are gainfully employed so forth ... and boys have a tendency to just drop out of white wire boy is not what was so Iraq ... was the way it used ... to say this ... so called home all economic aside this idea that ... men and women have the same kinds of motivations it is well what Hummel economic this is not a real creature it's a huge day I'd ... I cut it and economists obstruction and it's the way economists conceive of people as ... rationally self interest ... now the problem with this is it doesn't take into account number of things including reproductive biology ... and reproductive biology ... explains why many women have different rates and one difference between men and women ... he is that women tend to be risk averse and men tend to be risk seeking ... women tend to risk averse because women are much more important reproductive leave them at our ... five ... men to be risk seeking ... in part to protect women ... argh it's actually in the interest of Wells sent on his back and see you TK is ... article one and has acted and ... well think about why women pursue education and tried to hide ... and jobs and so forth ... if you look at it in this context that's the most secure wrote to security than them a sure route to security for themselves and their children it's actually a risk averse thing to go ... it makes much Lessons From and to do in particular when ... they don't stand to gain that much by pursuing a tie marriage and family because the marriages become a bad deal from an F word about divorce to worry about getting killed in our child support if they get divorced thus the Web Today columnist James Taranto thank so much for joining us ...